Bears Close 2025 with 3-0 Loss to Phantoms

December 31, 2025

The Hershey Bears (14-14-1-0) closed out 2025 with a 3-0 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (16-11-2-2) on Wednesday afternoon at PPL Center. Hershey has now dropped its last four games; the Bears now own a 4-2-0-0 record against the Phantoms in the season series.

BOX SCORE

NOTABLES:

• Lane Pederson scored twice in the opening frame for the Phantoms to give the hosts a 2-0 lead; Hershey was outshot 18-7 by Lehigh Valley, with the shots against representing the largest total allowed by the Bears in the first period this season.
• Hershey responded by out-shooting Lehigh Valley 24-14 over the final two periods, but an empty-net goal by Maxence Guenette at 19:24 of the final frame sealed the game for the Phantoms.

SHOTS: HER 31, LV 32

GOALTENDING: HER - Clay Stevenson, 29-for-31; LV - Aleksei Kolosov, 31-for-31

POWER PLAY: HER - 0-for-1; LV - 0-for-2

THEY SAID IT:

Bears head coach Derek King on what prevented the team from capitalizing on its chances in the second and third:
"They're just not falling for us. We didn't have a good start to the game. We get behind, and every time we get a shot in the second or third period when we start playing better, we almost feel like 'it's got to go in, it's got to go in.' and start gripping it a little bit and just fanning on shots. The effort's there - we've just got to clean up that first period and play like our second and third tonight, and play like that for three periods and we'll have a better outcome."

King on the play of the line of Smith-Cruikshank-Bitten:
"Yeah that line's been sparking us. Smitty hits guys, is pushing guys away, and that's our energy line. We need more of that from other guys. Guys need to do that if they want to make it at the next level."

King on how he can keep the team together in the face of what's now a four-game losing streak:
"We'll it's the little things. I've got to talk to the staff and see with the rest of our trainers, and strength guys, what are we doing wrong that we're not ready or prepared for that first period. But we've just got to battle through it. I told them in there: we've got to stick together. We dug ourselves a hole - and that's meaning all of us - it's not just their fault, it's our fault too. I've have to go look at video and figure out what we're doing wrong and where I can change some things. But I'm telling you, we play like we do - and I've said it before, I sound like a broken record - but we play like we do for two periods and play for three periods, I'm not in there after a game telling them stick together and we'll get through this, we're winning hockey games."

(Answers edited for clarity)

The Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they return home to host the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center for a Washington Capitals Night and PSECU Knit Hat Night, where the first 5,000 fans will receive a knit hat, courtesy of PSECU. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for this game.